Kylie Patrick always thought she was different from those around her, but she could never put her finger on why. She just felt like she thought differently from everyone else.

That was until last year, when she finally got some answers.

Kylie was born in Tamworth, in central New South Wales, but her family moved to Sydney when she was four years old. Now, Kylie, 38 has a family of her own, with her partner, son and two big dogs. 

She is the Group Manager for Payroll Operations in Downer’s Business Services Centre. Her team looks after payroll and everything that goes along paying 33,000 employees at Downer.

Outside of work, she volunteers with the Royal Flying Doctors Service, travelling around Australia every year to remote locations to meet new people and explore the country. 

Along with the everyday challenges that come with her life, Kylie also has some different difficulties – this is because she is neurodivergent. The terms ‘neurodivergent’ and ‘neurodiverse’ refer to people whose thought patterns, behaviours, or learning styles fall outside of what is considered normal, or neurotypical. Neurodivergence embraces the idea that differences in the human brain are natural and, in many cases, can lead to meaningful and positive insights and abilities.

The concept of neurodiversity is gaining traction as both neurodiverse and neurotypical people are finding that differences are not necessarily disabilities. Some differences can be real strengths.

In the past 12 months, Kylie started hearing the term ‘neurodivergent’ on social media, and began to relate very closely to the things that she was reading about. . 

“I didn’t think too much of it, to be honest – just one of things that people make up, or a new name for something,” Kylie said.

“I needed to seek help for my mental health and my psychiatrist tested me for ADHD factors amongst other things to see where to go next.

“I did not want to go into complex testing, and I already had a lot of coping mechanisms in place – this is where the diagnosis came in.”

Being diagnosed helped Kylie to understand what neurodivergence is – and who she is. It helped validate that there was nothing wrong with her and it wasn’t something she was making up. It was something real.

 She explains that she is neurodiverse because of, “how I empathise with others, how quickly my thoughts pass through my mind, how I learn, how I keep concentration, how I plan (or don’t), how I organise things and how I socialise with others”.

Since then, it has helped with her own internal struggles, as she can recognise early when something is not right before it becomes a problem, and helps Kylie establish personal boundaries. 

Being surrounded by her family and friends has also helped Kylie and she is grateful for their support. Kylie says that she has stayed true to herself and surrounds herself with people who love her for who she is. 

When asked what she wishes neurotypical people knew about being neurodivergent, she says: “it is like being left-handed. A lot of people are, and you might just need a different tool to get it right”.

Though the workplace is making it easier for neurodivergent people to thrive, there are still improvements we can make to ensure that it is an inclusive environment for all. 

It is important to know straight away that one size does not fit all, and you need to understand your audience. 

“Sometimes it might seem like surplus or a waste of time, however, what are you going to gain by presenting or preparing different media? Usually, a better understanding of the subject and different kinds of collateral – neither are bad things but might mean the world to others.”

"You might need to give people time and not expect a response or decision straight away – give sufficient time for a pre-read or give advance notice of what is the expected outcome of something. A lot of people need an understanding so they can prepare themselves."

It is OK to ask how people prefer to be presented to, or how they learn, because this is what makes for an inclusive working environment.”

Downer is committed to developing a culture of support for people with both visible and non-visible disabilities and want to ensure that our people are supported in an inclusive and accessible environment. For more information, click here to read Downer’s Inclusion and Belonging Strategy and Action Plan 2022-2024.